Question

why is current the same everywhere in a circuit of a battery and resistor ? Doesn't the resistor slow down the chargers, thus they take more time to move in the resistor and thus I=dq/dt decreases ? Please answer with the state of the charges in the circuit

Answer 1

Currtent is dq/dt or speed of charge. Resistance will reduce current. I think you can draw your own conclusion.

Answer 2

physmath: why don't resistors slow charges down ? If we use the water pipe analogy, on a tighter section of the pipe (smaller diameter), water actually speeds up. Does that means that electrons speed up in the resistance ?
radar: yes, resistance will reduce the current in the whole circuit (if we assume that current is constant in all portions of the circuit). I don't see what to conclude from what you've said.

Answer 3

If increased resistance reduces current, and according to Ohms Law it does, then we must conclude that dq/dt is now reduced (charge movemen) then the rate of charge moving past a point has also reduced. My conclusion is resistors do slow down charges!

Answer 4

or at least the speed of charge movement.

Answer 5

If that is true, and I am convinced it is, if I started counting individual charges (electrons). I would observe a lower count per unit of time. Comphrendo?

Answer 6

Remember ezadam, an ampere is 6.241 x 10^18 electrons (1 coulomb) pass a given point per each second of time.

Answer 7

Thanks for your effort, physmath. I just wasn't thinking really straight about my current misconception. The water pipe analogy actually works well for understanding this concept. As a conclusion, resistors in a series circuit decrease the overall circulating current, but charge carriers actually speed up when they go into the resistors.